On the waterfront: Air pollution still rising at Port

By Kristopher Hanson, Staff columnist
14/09/2007

It's a case of economic growth outstripping environmental initiative at the Port of Long Beach, as a new survey shows air pollution volumes rising by double-digit levels in recent years, despite the best efforts of industry and regulators.

Between 2002 and 2005, volumes of smog-forming pollution from ships, trains and trucks visiting the port jumped by between 11 and 15 percent.

Growth in pollutants would probably have been worse if not for the increased use of cleaner fuels and new engines by port industry, as the number of containers handled in Long Beach increased 48 percent during the same timeframe.

The survey, conducted by port environmental engineers and coming on the heels of a similar survey by the Port of Los Angeles, showed total diesel particulate matter (DPM) rising by 11 percent and nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide by 15 percent.

The rise in diesel particulate matter, which includes a very fine soot capable of lodging deep into human lungs, is probably the most disturbing because of its impact on the people who work and live near the port complex.

Health studies have linked this pollution to increased risk of asthma, cancer and heart disease. Communities around San

Pedro Bay already have among the highest rates of childhood asthma in California.
The neighboring Port of Los Angeles on Sept. 7 released a similar survey showing increases in fine and ultra-fine particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide.

In coming years, authorities in both ports hope to reverse pollution impacts to year 2000 levels by negotiating "green leases" with terminal operators, implementing a rapid turnover of drayage trucks, encouraging the use of dockside electricity and low-sulfur fuels by ships and replacing many of the port complex's dirty diesel trains.

Eye of the storm

Screenings of a new documentary on the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) drew several thousand people, including many political leaders, to San Pedro's historic Warner Grand Theater on Friday and Monday.

"Eye of the Storm," produced by the union and directed by award-winning filmmaker Aimee Williams, explores the 2002 labor battle between shipping companies and West Coast dockworkers, which included a 10-day lockout that nearly crippled the U.S. economy.

The 59-minute film is punctuated by informative and often colorful interviews with key players and negotiators, many of which were recorded at the height of the crisis in September and October of that year.

The film also documents the union's history, from its birth in the bloody waterfront strikes of 1934 to its evolution through industry mechanization, computer technology and beyond.

The union is making tens of thousands of DVD copies for members and the public free of charge.

To obtain a free copy, visit www.ilwu.org.

Kristopher Hanson can be reached at kristopher.hanson@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1466.